Mandarin Bilingual Birding: Egrets

This event is co-hosted by the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society and 706 Youth Community - San Francisco.

Do you know that there is a bird sanctuary on the Google campus? Thanks to habitat protection in recent years, Snowy Egrets and Black-crowned Night Herons have made their homes, raised their young, and filled the small Egret rookery with lively chirping. Come and take a look with us! We will start from the Google Experience Center, walk along the Charleston Road Marsh trail to listen to the morning songs of the birds and admire the sculptures, and finally arrive at the Egret rookery. There, you can use binoculars and scopes to observe how the snowy egrets and night heron chicks compete with their siblings for their parents’ attention. You will take your own amazing photos, and get an “I saw an egret today” sticker! Our leaders will share with you the dramatic stories of these elegant birds during their breeding process and how the Audubon Society has partnered with Google to create this urban oasis.

Trip Difficulty: 0.6 miles, paved trails, little or no elevation gain, some shade.

Binoculars: Bring your binoculars, bring a scope if you have one. If you need to borrow binoculars, I can bring some to the event with 1 week's advanced notice.

Other Trip Notes: The trip may be canceled due to special weather considerations, such as rain or fog. In such cases, the lead will send an email in advance to notify about the cancellation. Please be attentive to your email before you embark on the trip.

Leaders: Junyan Wang (475) 414-9098, Joyce Zhang, Mary Ann Robertson, Phil Chen

Beginner Friendly, Loaner Binoculars Available, Family Friendly Ages 10 and up

Meet: Shoreline Amphitheatre Parking Lot C at 8:30 am

Directions: If you are coming from south of Mountain View, head “west” (towards San Francisco) on US-101 N. Use the right lane to take exit 399A toward Shoreline Blvd. Use the right lane to turn right onto N Shoreline Blvd. Then turn left onto Amphitheatre Pkwy, and Shoreline Amphitheatre Parking Lot C is on your right. GPS: 37.4237771, -122.0792990.

Facilities: No bathrooms. Nearest porta-potty is at the Shoreline Kite Flying parking lot. The Google Experience Building opens at 9 am, and bathrooms will be available inside.

Parking Type and Fees: paved parking lot, no fees

Banner Photo: Snowy Egrets by Junyan Wang

Questions? Email general questions to fieldtrips@scvas.org or contact the trip leader for questions regarding the event.